Anne Hathaway Has Some Thoughts About 'Mommy Guilt'

03/14/2017 04:04 pm EDT

Anne Hathaway welcomed her first child, son Jonathan, with husband Adam Shulman in March 2016, and the actress has had plenty of time to get used to the role of "mom" since little Jonathan's arrival.

MORE: Anne Hathaway Shares First Photo of Son Jonathan

Hathaway opened up to Elle for the magazine's April issue to talk about life after baby, revealing that she isn't a fan of the idea of "mommy guilt."

"I can't believe we don't already have it," she said in reference to paid parental leave. "When [my son] Johnny was a week old and I was holding him and I was in the ninth level of ecstasy, I just all of a sudden thought, 'Mommy guilt is invented nonsense.' We're encouraged to judge each other, but we should be turning our focus to the people and institutions who should be supporting us and currently aren't."

Hathaway has been an outspoken advocate for the issue, recently delivering a speech on paid parental leave at the United Nations. In line with that, she also shared her thoughts on starring in the upcoming all-female reboot of Ocean's 8.

"Hollywood is not a place of equality. I don't say that with anger or judgment; it's a statistical fact," she explained. "And even though I've been in some female-centric films, I've never been in a film like this. It just kind of makes you aware of the ways you sort of unconsciously change yourself to fit certain scenarios. It's not better or worse...or right or wrong, but there are certain things you understand about one another because of experiences you have in common…it's probably easy for men to take that for granted. Just being on a set where I'm the one who possesses that ease is really something. It's a nice alternative narrative."

Through it all, she's had Shulman by her side, and the actress couldn't help but gush about her man to the magazine.

"He changed my ability to be in the world comfortably," Hathaway said. "I think the accepted narrative now is that we, as women, don't need anybody. But I need my husband. His unique and specific love has changed me."

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